The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

My Golly, I feel like Chester!

by Dessa Rodeffer, Quill Publisher/Owner

April 25, 2012

Many of you have seen me hopping along like Chester from Gunsmoke, but on crutches, after I had a double torn and flipped meniscus repaired in my knee a week ago on Friday the 13th.

It is always an eye-opener to see what others go through after an inconvenient surgery knocks you off your feet for a while.

Shifting most of your weight from two legs to one leg really makes you wish you had lost that extra twenty pounds that was talked about forever.

It kind of reminds me of walking on stilts which I am not sure anyone does anymore for fun, but doing it full time, just isn't any fun.

No mall shopping, No squatting, no bending, no cheating by limping on bad leg, but do the pain stretching exercises twice a day, if you want to get well, I was told.

Who needs training to use crutches. Well, with one leg off the ground, crutches are dangerous if you don't know the trick of going up and down stairs.

The good leg goes up first, toward heaven, when you are going up stairs. The bad leg goes down first when you are going down toward - you know where.

And I was shown that if there is a railing, use it and carry your "bad side" crutch in the other hand as you go down. It will help you to not lose your balance... which is very easy to do.

Anyway, crutches are a life-saver, and they are a pain.

I really hate that they are squeaking whenever I use them so everyone turns and looks, but people are so helpful no matter where I am, and they will go out of their way to help you out.

I am especially blessed to have had friends take me to the doctor and my son-in-law Scott and daughter Tami, and granddaughter Ali Postle, to watch over me with both of their great cooking skills and nursing care as I mend at their home.

It seems time moves as slowly as I do on my crutches.

I'll be very glad when I can stretch my leg enough to walk without a limp and put them away.